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Iran pushes for Friday nuclear talks in Oman amid rising tensions with US forces: source

Iran has requested that nuclear talks with the United States be held in Oman on Friday, a source familiar with the discussions told Fox News, as Tehran pushes for changes to the structure of renewed negotiations.

The request comes as Axios reported that Iranian officials are also pressing to limit the talks to a bilateral U.S.-Iran format, excluding other Arab and regional countries — a move that could complicate U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region.

The State Department has not publicly confirmed whether any talks are scheduled or what format they would take.

Reuters reported Monday that Tehran is examining the possibility of renewed nuclear talks with the United States, with Turkey emerging as a potential venue and regional mediators, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, playing an active role, after President Donald Trump said he was hopeful a deal could be reached to avert military action against Iran.

Trump has reportedly been weighing his options on a possible military strike on Iran amid widespread protests and violent crackdowns inside the country. Trump announced last week that a ‘massive Armada is heading to Iran,’ led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that talks between the U.S. and Iran are still scheduled, confirming special envoy Steve Witkoff remains engaged in diplomatic discussions.

‘Oh, look, I just spoke with special envoy Witkoff. And, these talks as of right now are still scheduled. President Trump is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango. You need a willing partner to achieve diplomacy. And that’s something that special envoy Witkoff is intent on exploring and discussing,’ Leavitt said.

Leavitt added that Trump continues to keep military options on the table.

‘As always, though, of course, the president has a range of options on the table with respect to Iran. As commander in chief, I think they learned that quite well last year with the strike in Operation Midnight Hammer, which was wildly successful and obliterated their nuclear capabilities. But those talks will continue later this week as far as we’re concerned. Right now,’ she said.

The news comes after six Iranian gunboats unsuccessfully attempted to halt a U.S.-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The security firm Vanguard Tech told its clients on Tuesday that the Iranian vessels were armed with .50-caliber guns, and they ordered the oil tanker to turn off its engines and prepare to be boarded. Instead, the tanker sped up and was ultimately escorted to safety by a U.S. Navy vessel, according to the Journal.

In addition, the U.S. military shot down an unmanned Iranian drone Tuesday after it ‘aggressively approached a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intent,’ a U.S. Central Command spokesman told Fox News. No U.S. service members were injured and no U.S. equipment was damaged during the incident.  

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Greg Norman contributed to this report.

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Iran’s president strikes softer tone on nuclear talks after Trump’s warning that ‘bad things would happen’

The Iranian president, who just days ago accused President Donald Trump of provoking unrest and trying to ‘tear this country apart,’ is now striking a softer tone regarding talks about its nuclear program, following a warning from Trump. 

Trump said at the White House on Monday that the U.S. is talking with Iran and that he would ‘like to see a deal negotiated.’  

‘And if we could work something out, that’d be great,’ Trump added. ‘And if we can’t, probably bad things would happen.’ 

Masoud Pezeshkian then took to X on Tuesday and wrote, ‘In light of requests from friendly governments in the region to respond to the proposal by the President of the United States for negotiations: I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreasonable expectations — to pursue fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and expediency.’

‘These negotiations shall be conducted within the framework of our national interests,’ Pezeshkian also said. 

Axios has reported that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on Friday. However, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News on Tuesday that Iran wants to move the discussions to Oman.

Pezeshkian told state television on Saturday that Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and European leaders ‘rode on our problems, provoked, and were seeking — and still seek — to fragment society,’ according to Reuters.

‘They brought them into the streets and wanted, as they said, to tear this country apart, to sow conflict and hatred among the people and create division,’ Pezeshkian reportedly added about the anti-government protests and deadly crackdown that recently swept through Iran. ‘Everyone knows that the issue was not just a social protest.’   

Then in a series of posts on X on Tuesday, Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, ‘The United States wants to devour Iran; the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic prevent this,’ and, ‘Iran stands firm and will continue to stand firm, and — God willing — will put an end to the United States’ mischief and harassment.’

‘The recent sedition was orchestrated by Zionists & the US. I was informed through a certain channel that the CIA & Mossad deployed all of their resources into the field!’  Khamenei also claimed, without providing any evidence.

Trump said last week that ‘time is running out for Iran.’

In a Truth Social post last Wednesday, Trump wrote, ‘A massive Armada is heading to Iran.’  

‘It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. Hopefully, Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal — NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS — one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!’ the president warned. 

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House sends bill ending government shutdown to Trump’s desk after 21 Dems break with Jeffries

The House of Representatives passed a federal funding bill aimed at ending the partial government shutdown on Tuesday, which will bring the four-day standoff to a close shortly after the legislation gets to President Donald Trump’s desk.

The funding bill, which passed the House 217-214, is a compromise struck between Senate Democrats and the White House that would fund roughly 97% of the federal government through the end of fiscal 2026.

Trump played an integral role in hashing out the new deal and quelling a subsequent rebellion by conservative lawmakers to get it over the finish line.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., signaled he was strongly against the plan, despite his Senate counterpart’s role in putting it together. But 21 Democrats bucked his concerns in the end to vote in favor of it.

Jeffries and his top lieutenants in the House Democratic Caucus all voted against the bill, however.

On the GOP side, 21 Republicans voted against the legislation while 196 were in favor.

Democrats had initially walked away from a bipartisan House deal to finish funding the federal government through the end of fiscal 2026 on Sept. 30, rebelling against a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over Trump’s handling of unrest in Minneapolis.

Their mutiny left roughly 78% of the government’s yearly funding hanging in the balance because the DHS bill was lumped into a wider package authorizing budgets for the departments of War, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Education.

The deal struck between Senate Democrats and the White House would fully fund those remaining areas while only extending current funding levels for DHS through Feb. 13, in order to give Democrats and Republicans time to hash out a longer-term bipartisan plan.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Tuesday that the legislation would succeed, though he hinted at some dissatisfaction with how negotiations played out.

‘This is not my preferred route. I wanted to keep all six bills together,’ Johnson said. ‘But listen, the president agreed with Schumer that they would separate Homeland, and we’ll do that, and we’ll handle it.… The Republicans are going to do the responsible thing.’

The Senate’s federal funding deal survived an important hurdle late Tuesday morning, clearing a House-wide ‘rule vote’ to allow for lawmakers to debate the measure and set up a vote on final passage by early afternoon.

It comes after a pair of House conservatives announced they would be backing off their threats to sink the legislation during the rule vote if the legislation was not paired with an unrelated election integrity bill called the SAVE America Act.

Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., and Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., warned they would not support the bill during the rule vote without the SAVE America Act attached but pivoted on Monday night after a conversation with the White House.

‘As of right now, with the current agreement that we have, as well as discussions, we will both be a yes on the rule,’ Luna said. ‘There is something called a standing filibuster that would effectively allow Sen. Thune to put voter ID on the floor of the Senate. We are hearing that that is going well, and he is considering that… so we are very happy about that.’

The SAVE America Act would require voter ID at the polls and create a new proof of citizenship mandate in the voter registration process.

But it appears Luna’s insistence that Thune had embraced the standing filibuster, a little-known and antiquated legislative maneuver, was not quite accurate.

Still, Thune said there were Senate Republicans who ‘expressed an interest in that, so we’re going to have a conversation about it. But there weren’t any commitments made.’

He noted that forcing the standing filibuster to try and pass the SAVE America Act, or any of its variations coming from the House, would be a massive drain on time in the Senate.

Doing so ‘ties up floor time indefinitely,’ Thune said. That’s because of rules that guarantee any senator gets up to two speeches on a bill. That, coupled with the clock being reset by amendments to the bill, means that the Senate could effectively be paralyzed for months as Republicans chip away at Democratic opposition.

‘There’s always an opportunity cost,’ Thune said.

‘Well, at any time there’s an amendment offered, and that amendment is tabled, it resets the clock,’ he continued. ‘The two-speech rule kicks in again. So let’s say, you know, every Democrat senator talks for two hours. That’s 940 hours on the floor.’

It’s not immediately clear when Trump will sign the funding bill, but it’s expected the White House will want to move fast. The longest government shutdown in history, which lasted 43 days, just ended in November.

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Clintons cave: Comer says Bill and Hillary to testify in Epstein probe

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be deposed by the House Oversight Committee at the end of this month.

Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced Hillary Clinton will sit for a closed-door transcribed interview on Feb. 26, and Bill Clinton will appear on Feb. 27 under the same terms.

Both interviews will be filmed, Comer’s press release said. 

It comes after weeks of back-and-forth between the former first couple and the House GOP-led committee about whether they would testify in the chamber’s probe into Jeffrey Epstein, and under what terms.

The Clintons were both facing contempt of Congress votes in the House this week if they did not agree to come to Capitol Hill for in-person interviews with the Oversight Committee.

Those votes were likely to succeed as well. Late last month, nine Democrats on the House Oversight Committee joined all Republicans in voting to advance Bill Clinton’s contempt of Congress resolution to a House-wide vote. Three Democrats voted to advance the resolution against Hillary Clinton.

A contempt of Congress vote would refer both Clintons to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for criminal prosecution.

A contempt of Congress conviction is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to a year in jail.

‘Republicans and Democrats on the Oversight Committee have been clear: no one is above the law — and that includes the Clintons. After delaying and defying duly issued subpoenas for six months, the House Oversight Committee moved swiftly to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings in response to their non-compliance,’ Comer said in a statement.

‘Once it became clear that the House of Representatives would hold them in contempt, the Clintons completely caved and will appear for transcribed, filmed depositions this month. We look forward to questioning the Clintons as part of our investigation into the horrific crimes of Epstein and Maxwell, to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Bill Clinton’s spokesman for comment.

The Clintons were two of 10 people subpoenaed for testimony before the committee as it probes the federal government’s handling of Epstein’s case. So far just two people subpoenaed by the committee, former Attorney General Bill Barr and ex-Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, have appeared in person.

Their attorneys wrote to Comer last month calling his subpoenas legally invalid and a violation of separation of powers, arguments the Kentucky Republican rejected.

‘President and Secretary Clinton have already provided the limited information they possess about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the Committee. They did so proactively and voluntarily, and despite the fact that the Subpoenas are invalid and legally unenforceable, untethered to a valid legislative purpose, unwarranted because they do not seek pertinent information, and an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers,’ the letter read.

The two sides then went back-and-forth discussing various terms as Comer continued to forge ahead with contempt proceedings.

Comer twice rejected offers for himself and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the committee, to travel to New York with limited staff to interview Bill Clinton. 

Meanwhile, Democrats had accused Comer of pursuing the contempt charges for political motivations rather than to get closure for Epstein’s victims.

Bill Clinton was known to have a friendship with Epstein before his federal criminal charges and is among many high-profile names to appear in the trove of files being released on the late pedophile by the DOJ. But there has been no implication of wrongdoing by either of the Clintons as it relates to Epstein.

With a looming vote that could have set up an unprecedented criminal prosecution, the Clintons’ attorneys wrote to the committee on Monday, ‘[M]y clients accept the terms of your letter and will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates. As has been the Committee’s practice, please confirm the House will not move forward with contempt proceedings, as the Chairman stated in his letter this morning.’

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Which teams have most polarizing March Madness resumes?

March Madness is so ingrained as a national spectacle at this point the controversial selections and snubs are an inevitability, and even an expected part of the show when college basketball fans gather on Selection Sunday for the reveal of the bracket.

Bracketology sprouted from our collective thirst to know what teams must do to hear their name on Selection Sunday, and where those teams might be ranked. So too did a collection of rankings based on computer models and formulas and, like last year, seven of those metrics will be listed on the team sheets used by the selection committee as it meets heading into Selection Sunday to determine the field for the 2026 NCAA tournament.

Each ranking or rating is separated into two distinct categories — predictive metrics and results-based metrics. The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), KenPom, ESPN’s BPI and the Torvik rankings are considered predictive rankings that measure how good a team is based on its offensive and defensive efficiency, adjusted for opponent strength and location. The KPI, ESPN’s Strength of Record (SOR) and Wins Above Bubble (WAB) are results-based rankings that judge how hard it was for a team to attain its résumé.

For many teams, the two types of ratings largely converge by the end of the season. For others, however, there can be a wide swath of outcomes based on how a game was played and whether it was won or lost. These are the schools from major and mid-major conferences that could inspire the most robust conversation and debate among committee members, either over their selection into the 2026 NCAA tournament as an at-large and/or their potential seeding in the field, due to the differences between their ranking in predictive metrics and results-based metrics.

Here’s an early look at 10 teams with polarizing profiles ahead of Selection Sunday based on the metrics used for the men’s NCAA tournament:

March Madness 2026: NCAA tournament metrics’ most polarizing teams

All records and rankings through games played on Feb. 2

Florida (16-6)

  • NET: 12
  • KenPom: 7
  • BPI: 7
  • Torvik: 6
  • KPI: 20
  • SOR: 18
  • WAB: 18

How the NCAA tournament selection committee seeds the defending national champions is developing into a fascinating subplot for Selection Sunday after Florida didn’t get wins in high-profile nonconference games against Arizona, Duke and UConn. But the Gators remain in the SEC driver’s seat with a huge matchup against Texas A&M looming on Feb. 7. Predictive rankings have them already in contention for a top-two seed, but results-based metrics have Florida hovering just inside the top-20. Will committee members give the Gators the benefit of the doubt over teams with fewer losses?

Louisville (15-6)

  • NET: 17
  • KenPom: 16
  • BPI: 11
  • Torvik: 16
  • KPI: 28
  • SOR: 32
  • WAB: 26

The Cardinals are 11-2 when freshman Mikel Brown is in the lineup, with losses to only Duke and Arkansas, and look poised to return to the NCAA tournament in coach Pat Kelsey’s second season. But Louisville is 4-4 without Brown, including three losses in four games last month as ACC play got underway. So the Cardinals are positioned as high as No. 11 in predictive metrics as a result of their ceiling with Brown, but their results-based rankings are as low as No. 32. If those dynamics remain the same over the next month, there will be lingering questions about how Louisville will be seeded by the selection committee.

Indiana (15-7)

  • NET: 30
  • KenPom: 33
  • BPI: 25
  • Torvik: 23
  • KPI: 49
  • SOR: 37
  • WAB: 39

The Hoosiers are as high as No. 23 and as low as No. 49 among the seven metrics used by the NCAA tournament selection committee, with a weak schedule and lack of significant wins until recent triumphs over Purdue and UCLA leaving them in an interesting spot to start February. Indiana hasn’t slipped up against inferior competition and had several metric-boosting blowouts to help juice its predictive metrics. The Hoosiers would likely make the NCAA tournament field as an at-large team if Selection Sunday were this week, but they’re only a loss or two away from being on the wrong side of the bubble again.

UCF (17-4)

  • NET: 37
  • KenPom: 45
  • BPI: 51
  • Torvik: 46
  • KPI: 15
  • SOR: 21
  • WAB: 19

The Knights’ résumé won’t be straightforward for selection committee members if UCF continues on its current trajectory, with the predictive metrics of a bubble team and results more in line with a top-six seed. The Knights didn’t test themselves much in the nonconference schedule, but got a key road win over Texas A&M, already beat Kansas and Texas Tech in Big 12 play and have no bad losses. Coach Johnny Dawkins is having his best season since he last made the NCAA tournament in 2019.

Texas (13-9)

  • NET: 39
  • KenPom: 34
  • BPI: 35
  • Torvik: 38
  • KPI: 63
  • SOR: 54
  • WAB: 52

The Longhorns could present challenges for the committee if they linger along the NCAA tournament bubble around Selection Sunday. Their predictive metrics rank among the top-40 after some impressive SEC wins over Vanderbilt and Alabama last month, but they’ve also got a Quad 3 loss at home to Mississippi State and only one nonconference win of note on their résumé. Texas still has chances to boost its profile with games looming against Florida, Texas A&M and Arkansas at the end of SEC play, but its profile can’t withstand too many more setbacks.

Washington (12-10)

  • NET: 47
  • KenPom: 46
  • BPI: 44
  • Torvik: 44
  • KPI: 64
  • SOR: 60
  • WAB: 60

The Huskies would be a fascinating test case if Selection Sunday were this week instead of next month as no Big Ten team has a wider gap between its metrics. The predictive rankings are all mostly the same, ranging from No. 43-47, and put Washington on the bubble. The results-based rankings are similar as well, only those range from No. 60-64 because of the team’s 10 losses. That would put the Huskies in danger of missing the NCAA tournament. None of those defeats, however, are outside of the first two quadrants.

California (16-6)

  • NET: 51
  • KenPom: 54
  • BPI: 69
  • Torvik: 56
  • KPI: 40
  • SOR: 48
  • WAB: 41

The predictive metrics haven’t caught up to the results-based metrics after Cal knocked off UNC, Stanford and Miami to emerge from a three-game losing skid. The Golden Bears have played their way onto the NCAA tournament bubble and have no bad losses on their ledger. A few closer-than-expected results facing a weak nonconference schedule leaves them limited margin for error the next month.

Oklahoma State (15-6)

  • NET: 68
  • KenPom: 57
  • BPI: 71
  • Torvik: 70
  • KPI: 46
  • SOR: 44
  • WAB: 46

The Cowboys look like they could provide a window into how the NCAA tournament selection committee judges a team that does well in nonconference play only to then stumble in conference action. Oklahoma State is considered the 12th-best team in the Big 12 by predictive metrics after it started league play with five losses in eight games. But it’s nearly 22 spots higher nationally, on average, in results-based metrics thanks to early wins over Texas A&M, USF, Northwestern and Grand Canyon that have aged better than expected. The Cowboys still have a shot based on the strength of the Big 12.

George Mason (20-2)

  • NET: 65
  • KenPom: 76
  • BPI: 68
  • Torvik: 108
  • KPI: 35
  • SOR: 40
  • WAB: 43

This one-time Final Four phenomenon could be poised for another mid-major NCAA tournament run involving a borderline Selection Sunday résumé. The Patriots have won 20 of their first 22 games, but both losses came in rare Quad 1 or 2 opportunities. Their predictive metrics continue to lag significantly when compared to their results-based rankings. It doesn’t help that George Mason won’t face Atlantic-10 Conference favorite Saint Louis until its regular-season finale. The Patriots need more quality win opportunities.

Miami (Ohio) (22-0)

  • NET: 53
  • KenPom: 90
  • BPI: 91
  • Torvik: 80
  • KPI: 54
  • SOR: 24
  • WAB: 33
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Why the SEC will regret the College Football Playoff staying at 12 teams

  • The SEC will make its schedule more difficult in 2026. Won’t that make it tougher to qualify for a 12-team playoff?
  • A 9-3 team has not earned selection to 12-team playoff. That seems relevant to the SEC.
  • SEC wanted 16-team playoff, but Big Ten said no thanks.

When the SEC’s membership voted to add a ninth conference game, you must wonder whether they thought a 16-team playoff would be in place by the time the expanded conference schedule went into effect.

You also must wonder whether those SEC members still would’ve voted to expand the conference schedule, if they’d known the 12-team playoff would endure for the 2026 season.

On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack the SEC’s inability to strike a compromise with the Big Ten to reach on playoff expansion — and why the nine-game conference schedule might work to the SEC’s detriment in 2026.

They also debate whether the SEC should have gotten on board with the Big Ten’s plan for a 24-team playoff.

Will SEC regret adding a ninth conference game in 2026?

Adams: I’ve long advocated for the SEC expanding its conference schedule to create a better product. However, I’m skeptical that the extra conference game will help the SEC’s playoff pursuits in 2026. You must ask: How much will the selection committee reward strength of schedule? Answer: Probably not as much as the SEC desires.

A nine-game SEC schedule would have paired neatly with a 16-team playoff. SEC teams that finished 9-3 would’ve been prime candidates for at-large selection, in a 16-team field.

The selection committee still places a lot of value win-loss record, and an extra conference game will make it more difficult for SEC teams to reach 10-2.

Toppmeyer: The SEC needed a 16-team bracket for its nine-game conference schedule to pay off. The playoff committee has never selected a 9-3 team for a spot in the 12-team playoff, consistently rejecting SEC teams that pair nine wins with a lofty strength of schedule. Will the committee suddenly start admitting 9-3 SEC teams just because the conference added another league game? I’m skeptical of that.

Kudos to the Big Ten’s maneuvering. It argued for the SEC to add a ninth conference game, then threw up a roadblock toward expanding to a 5+11 playoff bracket that the SEC, Big 12 and ACC favored.

Without Big Ten support, the 5+11 playoff idea could not get approved. So, the SEC strengthened its schedule without successfully creating any more playoff bids. A 12-team playoff that’s worked well for the Big Ten persists.

Unlike the SEC, the Big Ten does not require its members to play either a Power Four opponent or Notre Dame in the non-conference schedule, although many do.

Overall, the Big Ten played the SEC like a fiddle.

Should the SEC have embraced a 24-team playoff?

Adams: No. This combination of a nine-game SEC schedule with a 12-team playoff might not work to the SEC’s benefit, but that’s not enough reason to get lured into a 24-team playoff. A playoff of such size would turn the sport on its head and devalue the regular season.

When we’re talking about almost the entire US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25 making the playoff, it’s gotten too big.

Toppmeyer: No. If the SEC wants 16, then continue negotiating to try to bring that into effect in subsequent years.

Committing to 24, when three of the four power conferences want 16, just wouldn’t make sense. College football’s regular season is its greatest attribute. I’m skeptical of any playoff format that would dilute the regular season. The Big Team’s 24-team proposal would do that.

Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered

  • Apple
  • Spotify
  • iHeart
  • Google

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

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Lindsey Vonn injury updates: Superstar plans to ski at Olympics despite ACL tear

MILAN — Lindsey Vonn said Tuesday she ruptured the ACL in her left knee in a downhill crash on Jan. 30. However, she said she went skiing earlier Tuesday and her knee feels stable and strong and she plans to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Vonn said she is not in pain and her knee is not swollen. She said she needs to go through downhill training to truly assess how she feels. She said her main goal is to compete in the downhill and will make decisions on the team combined and super-G later.

‘I’m still here. I think I’m still able to fight. I think I’m still able to try. And I will try as long as I have the ability to, I will not go home regretting not trying,’ Vonn said. ‘I will do everything in my power to be in that starting gate.’

Vonn is among the greatest skiers of all-time, a three-time Olympic medalist whose 84 World Cup wins are behind only Mikaela Shiffrin and Ingemar Stenmark. Vonn was forced to retire in 2019 because of the physical pain from a series of injuries to her right knee. But after having a partial knee replacement in April 2024, Vonn felt so good she began contemplating a comeback.

“I retired in 2019 because my body said no more, not because I didn’t want to continue racing,” Vonn told USA TODAY Sports in October. “So I feel like this could be an incredible moment to end this chapter of my life and move forward in a really exciting and peaceful way.”

Here’s what you need to know from her news conference.

Lindsey Vonn injury updates

Here is what the superstar skier said about rupturing her ACL in her Jan. 30 crash.

  • ‘I had a feeling it was bad, but I held out hope until I saw the MRI in front of me. But I haven’t cried.’
  • ‘It’s only been a few days. So if you’re looking at it scientifically, you don’t lose strength that quickly. So as long as my swelling is down, my muscles are firing, my strength is what it was a few days ago.’
  • ‘I have not deviated from my plan. I’ve been determined. Normally in the past, there’s always a moment where you break down and you realize the severity of things and that your dreams are slipping through your fingers. But I didn’t have that this time. I’m not letting this slip through my fingers. I’m gonna do it, end of story. So I’m not letting myself go down that path. I’m not crying. My head is high, I’m standing tall, and I’m gonna do my best, and whatever the result is, that’s what it is. But never say I didn’t try.’

Lindsey Vonn on Olympic team combined and super-G

Vonn said her ability to compete in the team combined on Feb. 10 and the super-G on Feb. 12 depends on how downhill training goes.

‘I don’t know exactly. I have to see how I feel,’ she said. ‘My intention is to race everything. That’s my goal. I’ll finish the season if I can. I don’t know, I can’t tell you that until I have a downhill training run and see how I feel. Normally in situations like this, your knee is good until it’s not … I have to really be diligent with everything we’re doing and be strategic and systemic in everything we’re doing … we’ll see how it holds up. I’ll go as long and as far as I can take it.’

Will Lindsey Vonn compete in 2026 Winter Olympics?

Vonn said Tuesday she will try to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Hours after her Jan. 30 crash, Vonn said she was consulting with her doctors and will have further tests. ‘This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics … but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback,’ Vonn wrote. ‘My Olympic dream is not over. Thank you all (for) the love and support. I will give more information when I have it,’ she added.

She closed the post by saying, ‘It’s not over until it’s over,’ adding heart and bicep emojis.

Why Lindsey Vonn ski to compete in Cortina

Cortina has always been one of Vonn’s favorite places. She made her first World Cup podium there, winning a bronze medal in the downhill in 2004, and 12 of her 84 World Cup victories came there.

To ski in an Olympics there, maybe have those be her final races, seemed a fitting end.

“It’s such a special place for me,” Vonn said in October. “I don’t think I would have tried this comeback if the Olympics weren’t in Corina. If it had been anywhere else, I would probably say it’s not worth it.

“But for me, there’s something special about Corina that always pulls me back.”

Lindsey Vonn injury history

Here’s a list of Vonn’s significant injuries throughout her career.

  • January 2019: Impact injury to peroneal nerve.
  • November 2018: Torn lateral collateral ligament and meniscus in left knee, three tibial plateau fractures from crash during training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.
  • November 2016: Fractured humerus in right arm from crash during training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.
  • August 2015: Broken ankle from crash during training in New Zealand.
  • February 2016: Multiple fractures in left knee from crash during World Cup super-G in Andorra.
  • December 2013: MCL sprain in right knee.
  • November 2013: Torn right ACL from crash in training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.
  • February 2013: Torn ACL and MCL in right knee and tibial plateau fracture in right leg following crash in super-G at world championships.
  • February 2010: Broken right pinkie from crash in giant slalom at Vancouver Olympics. (Where she’d previously won the downhill gold.)
  • December 2009: Microfractures in left forearm after crash during giant slalom in Lienz, Austria.
  • February 2009: Severed tendon in right thumb cutting open champagne bottle at world championships in Val d’Isère, France.
  • February 2007: Sprained right ACL after crash during training at the world championships in Åre, Sweden.

How many Olympics has Lindsey Vonn been to?

The 2026 Milano Cortina Games are her fifth Olympics.

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Giants hire former NFL head coach as offensive coordinator

The New York Giants have secured their offensive coordinator under John Harbaugh, and Matt Nagy has found his play-calling opportunity.

The Giants are hiring Nagy, who had been the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, for the same position, ESPN reported Tuesday.

New York had been in search of someone to orchestrate the offense after Todd Monken, who held the same title under Harbaugh for the last three years with the Baltimore Ravens, landed the Cleveland Browns’ head-coaching position.

Nagy, 47, had been the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator for the last three seasons. His contract expired in January, and Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he and Nagy came to an understanding that the former Chicago Bears coach would pursue opportunities elsewhere, either as a head coach or a play-caller.

Kansas City hired Eric Bieniemy, the team’s offensive coordinator from 2018-22, as Nagy’s replacement.

‘Matt and I have a great relationship,’ Reid said of Nagy. ‘Before the season even started here, I knew that he wanted an opportunity to have his own show. … All the things I’ve said about him I still feel about him.

‘He deserves to have a head-coaching job. If not, it gives him an opportunity to go out and do his thing. I mean, somebody is missing a gem here. That’s how I feel. I would love to see him get picked up and going.’

Nagy interviewed with the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans for their head-coaching vacancies but didn’t land any of the top jobs. He also spoke with the Philadelphia Eagles about their offensive coordinator opening, but the team hired Sean Mannion for the position.

In New York, Nagy will take over an offense seeking a breakthrough in quarterback Jaxson Dart’s second season. The Giants ranked 13th in total offense last year and 17th in scoring despite wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo coming back from season-ending injuries.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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USMNT boss slammed by ex-player after World Cup ticket price remarks

‘It is too expensive,’ the USMNT forward told French outlet Le Dauphiné. ‘Football should still be enjoyed by everyone. It is the most popular sport. This World Cup will be good, but it will be more of a show.’

For Pochettino, Weah’s comments were an unnecessary distraction from on-field matters.

‘First of all, I think players need to talk on the pitch, playing football, not outside of the (pitch),’ Pochettino said. ‘It is not [Weah’s] duty to evaluate the price of the ticket. And then also my duty is to prepare the team, the U.S. men’s national team, in the best way to perform.

‘We are not politicians. We are sport people that only we can talk about our job. And I think if FIFA does something or takes some decision, they know why, and it is their responsibility to explain why. But it’s not up to us to provide our opinion.’

Pochettino’s comments didn’t go down well with Gomez and his fellow ESPN analyst, former Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.

‘It’s the U.S. men’s national team, the country, whats it’s supposed to represent, land of the free, home of the brave. Except right now [Pochettino] is saying, ‘You don’t get the free speech,” Gomez said on Futbol Americas.

‘And he’s equating [Weah’s comments] to a political statement, which it is not. Timothy Weah expressed what many global citizens today have been expressing, that this World Cup has turned corporate, that … it is no longer the game of the people. It’s the game of the rich. Thousands of dollars for single gameday tickets to the World Cup.

‘And here is one of the few players on your team with World Cup experience — that has scored a goal in a World Cup — voicing their opinion how they’d like their people, their fans in general, people of all races, colors, to enjoy the game — and you’re saying, ‘Shut up and dribble.”

Hislop ehoed Gomez’s words, calling Pochettino ‘tone deaf’ for his remarks.

‘It couldn’t be more tone deaf,’ Hislop said. ‘This is harkening back to 60 or 70 years ago. It’s beyond belief that in 2026 we have somebody like Mauricio Pochettino, given the position he holds in this country with its history of activism, of athlete activism, in this moment making this statement.’

Pochettino made similar comments last year when the USMNT was facing Panama while U.S. President Donald Trump was openly discussing his desire to take back the Panama Canal.

‘I think it’s big mistake if we talk about politics because I think people are not waiting us to talk in this way,’ the coach said.

‘That doesn’t mean that I am not strong and I have my values and my vision about the situation, but I think being respectful and being a very clear and a strong guy is … to say nothing and to be focused only to help players who perform and try to win.’

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Duke returns to women’s college basketball rankings, top 5 remain same

The Duke women’s basketball team, which had been ranked as high as No. 6 this season, returned to the USA TODAY Sports women’s college basketball coaches’ poll at No. 22. The Blue Devils are on a 13-game win streak after starting the season 3-6.

Duke will get a big test this week, traveling to No. 6 Louisville on Thursday. The Cardinals moved into the No. 6 spot this week, their highest ranking after beginning the season at No. 22.

The top five in the women’s poll remained unchanged with undefeated UConn a unanimous No. 1 followed by UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and LSU. Vanderbilt slid from No. 6 to No. 8 after losses to South Carolina and Ole Miss. Iowa also slid two spots from No. 8 to No. 10 after losses at USC and UCLA.

Princeton took the biggest tumble of the week, falling five spots after a close loss to Columbia. Georgia fell out of the rankings after a loss to No. 23 Alabama.

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